Google PPC Ads -- How to Optimize your Adwords

When we talk about Google PPC ads and how to make them work to our advantage, we tackle many different issues. We discuss appropriate keyword selection, the best ways to bid for those keywords, and a host of other topics. Often neglected in all of the chatter is the point of contact between your potential customers and your campaign--the ads themselves.

Those little three-line text ads are the launching pad for everything else. If no one notices them, reads them or clicks on them, even the best planning and strategizing won't help you a bit.

Marketers swear by long copy. They love the idea of long marketing pieces using the "AIDA" model that focus on benefits and features. They enjoy framing a product within a great story, pre-empting every possible objection to purchase and even tacking on a few "PS" messages for good measure.

The idea of trying to come up with something that will attract eyeballs and produce click in three little short-margined lines is foreign to many of them.

That's a critical skill, though. If you want to make Google PPC ads work for you, understanding how to make those three lines work to your advantage is critical. Here are a few hints to help authors of long "sales novels" make the leap to "haiku copywriting."

80/20 Applies. The 80/20 rule states that 80% of an ad's overall effectiveness stems from its headline. It's true in other copywriting forms and it's true when it comes to Google PPC ads. If anything, the rule is even more pronounced with Adwords, because you don't have a chance to make up for a weak headline with a lot of great subsequent text.

Perfection. You might be able to get by with some "creative" spelling or a few typos in a 4,000-page sales letter. When you're down to a few precious words, however, every letter counts. That typo of incorrect word choice can crush your ad's performance potential.